Hydraulic turbine



Nov. 1 1 1647156 927 R. v. TERRY HYDRAULIG TURBINE Filed oct. 2v. 192e 2 sums-snm 1 L y d T1 .5. o

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Y l 1,647,15 Nov. 1, 1927. R v TERRY 6 HYDRAULIC TURBINE Filed Oct. 27. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 www2 Patented n Nov. 1, 1927.

UNirEDsTATEs ROGER VERNON TERRY, or HILTON VILLAGE, VIIe-errant,y AssIGNoRTo .NEWPORT YNews SHIPBUILDING AND` DRYDocK COMPANY, AicoRroRATIoNoF VIRGINIA.

HYDRAULIC TURBINE.

Application Afiled October 27, 1926. Seriall No. 144,499..

`This invention relates to hydraulic turbines and more particularly to the construev tion of the same adjacent the shroud band,

speed ring and other parts of the turbine adjacent thereto.

The object ofthe inventionis to increase the eii'ciency ofthe turbine by reducing the amount'of energy normally dissipated upon the shroud. ring by frictloncaused by the passage of water through the runner. This andgothery yadvantages will vbe apparent to those skilled' in y.the art, and arebrought about bythe vconstructions claimed and de-A scribed below, without any impairment of the functionsl of`other parts of'thecommon forms of turbine, whichare modified toaccomplish the desiredresults.

F or .a detailed description'of the several modifications of my improved turbine which l at present deeml preferable, reference may be had yto the following specification and the accompanying l drawings forming a part thereof, in which l .,Figs. lK1 and A2. show developments of por-l tions ofthe shroud band on which velocity ydiagrams are placed indicating the flow of theA water as it passes between the vanes .at specific speeds of 70 to 115, respectively;

Fig. ,3;sfa cross-sectional view' of one side ofthe runner of'a turbine and its adjacent parts, showing my improved shroud band and'embodying the preferred form thereof; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View of a` turbinegshowing a preferred form ofY shroudband as applied to an open flume turbine; i A

Fig. 5 isa similar .view showing the runner ofranv open flume Vturbine having the shroud band at the intermediate position on the endsbfthe runner vanes,

It is the customary practicey in the design of hydraulic turbine runnersof the inward flow .and combined yinward and axial flow types, known in generalas the Francis type, having specific speedsin the foot pound system fromy 15 to about l120, to V provide a shroud band orl ring `around the entire width of the outer ends of the runner vanes just below the inlet passage for the water. The

inner surface `of this band provides an .outer rotating-wa1l .fon the passagel of` water through the runner and serves to stiflen and strengthen'the runner asa whcle by tying together the outwardlyy eXtendmg ends vof the runner vanes,. Vibration,` vwhich would otherwise `belikely to occur from the pasel sage of the water throughthe runner, is thus eliminated. It also provides means in Iconjunction. with a shoulder formed at the lower i end of the speed ring, the upper endof the draft tube or the foundationring, dependingl upon the particular design of the tur.- bine, which may be used to support the runner during lassembly or repair.'

In the usual type of shroud band. construction nowemployed inthe artthe band extends substantially across the entire width of l,the outer ends of the runner vanes. This construction .results'in a decrease in. turbine etliciency,v dueto the loss in energy ofthe water byv friction d uringvits long diagonal passageacross thewidth' of lthe band;

VlThe loss in energy ofthe flow of a liquid across a surface is .expressed by ,the formula;v l

y `EL in this equation is the energy lost in fri'ctional` resistance dueto' the passage of a Huid over the surface or passage of the sur- K is a constant determined by the charac-v ter of the surface. l Sis the surface area irl-square feet. v:V is the velocity of thesurface relativeto the fluid in feet per second. From the above formula it may be that the energy loss due tothe frictional resistance of the water upon the shroud band varies as the cube ofthe velocity;y c

.In the .preferred form of my invention the Width of the shroud band parallel to the turbine axis is reduced so that thesupporting or steadying parts do not extend the fullwidth `of the tips or outer ends ofthe runner vanes, as in the usualfconstruction of shroudLv bands. vSufficient' width of such parts is Lon the other hand retained to hold the blades lin positiony and to enableV the shroud band to perform its functions as out l'inedabove. This reductionin the width o'f the band reduces'the area thereof 'exposed to the water passing through the runnerk and consequently reduces the frictionalloss associated therewith.- The `portion of the band thus eliminatedl has substituted therefor a stationary-member or ring whichpservesas a limiting member or guiding wall for the water passing .through the runner.. This stationary ring may be an integral part of the casing, the speed ring, the curb or lower distributor plate below the wicket gates or it mayv be a separate member suitably held in the desired position.

While this stationary ring substituted for a portion of the shroud band oers some resistance to the flow of water through the runner, it will be shown that this resistance in the case of high specific speed turbines 1s materially less than the resistance offered by the portion of the shroud band which it replaces. This reduction in the frictional .resistance may be demonstrated by referring to Figs. 1 and 2, in which V represents the tangential speed'of the runner, C represents the absolute -velocity of the water relative to a stationary part, the inclination depending upon the angular positions of the blades of the wicket gate, and TN represents the velocity of the water relative 'to the runner vanes and shroud band. It is seen that the velocity vWv of the water re'lative to the band, is higher than the Velocity C of the water relative to the stationary part, such as the fixed speed ring when brought adjacent the ends of the vanes. By comparing the velocity diagrams of Figs. 1 and 2, it will be observed that the ratio of llto C increases with the specific` speed. In the usual type of hydraulic turbine operating at a specific speed of 115, the value of W is at least twice the value of C. Since the frictional loss due to the water passing the shroud band varies as the cube of the velocity, for the same surface area and character of surface, the frictional loss due to the diagonal path of the water against a. shroud band fixed to the 'vanes is about eight times the frictional loss on a stationaryring adjacent to which the tips of the runner vanes immediately rotate.

Another yreduction in the frictional resistance is eected by the substitution of the stationary ring for a. portion of the shroud band, in that for the same'depth of runner vanes at the outer periphery of the runner, approximatelyhalf the surface area is eliminated because the shroud band has its inner and outer surfaces in contact with the water whereas the stationary ring has only its inner lsurface in contact with the water. A further reduction in the loss of energy caused by the shroud band is effect-ed by the character of the surface of the stationary ring, The inside surface of the stationary ring may be machined or surfaced in a. borl ing` mill, whereas the inside surface of the runner band cannot be. so surfaced. The machining of this surface results in decreasing the value ofthe constant K in the above formula. In fact, experiments show that the 'friction represented by K for an unis shrouded.

finished surface of the shroud band may be twice the friction for the finished surface of the. stationary ri-ng.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings one form of my improved turbine is illustrated. The numeral l indicates a turbine-.shaft having a ruimer 2 provided with vanes 3 secured to its ,lower end. The shroud ring or band 4 connects only a portion of the tips of the runner vanes 3 as shown. Vrllhe flow of water to the runner is controlled by a. circular series of pivoted wicket gates or blades 5 arranged oppositethe entrance part of the runner, to which water is supplied in the usualmanner, inthis case by a radial inflow and axial outiow. The wickety gates 5 are-supported by a curb plate 6 vwhich serves as the lowerrdistributor plate in which the gates are pivoted and with which thestationary ring -10-is integral. They may be removed when' it is desired to 'lift outgthe runner. A speed ring 7 serves, in turbinesof the-spiral casing type, as a foundation ring to which the curb plate 6 may be bolted. Forsimplicityfthe means employed to fasten the curb platev tothe speed ring,l as well as lthe means used to fasten other adjacent-parts, are omitted from the drawings. The draft tube 9`-is attached to the speed ring in any suitable manner, as by the angle iron 8. In the yparticular embodiment shown in Fig. 3,'a shoulder-'at the'lower portion of the vspeed ring formed by the. angle iron 8-servesas a support'for the runner when erecting or dismantling the turbine. It will Ibe appreciated that this shoulder may be made integral with the speed ring 7 if-itfbe desired.

l/Vith the open flume type of construction shown in Fig. 4, no speed ring is used. The distributor plate is bolted or otherwise securely fastened to a foundation ring 11, and in this construction thev upper portion of the distributor'plate is formed sucha way as to lie close to the'outer ends of the runner vanes not .covered Iby the shroud band. The curb Vplate extends over the runner band and may be removed from "the foundation ring before the runner is 'taken out of position. 'The Ifoundation ring y1l serves as a' support :for the runner whenthe turbine is being lerected or'dismantled.

*In the preferred embodiment of my vinvention the portion of the shroudband 'retained is'of more than sufficient strength to hold the outer ends of the runner vanes rigidly together, and may be any part of the band that is substantially less than the width in the usual construction where the entire width ofthe outer ends of the runner vanes `lt is obvious lthat the narrowerthe shroud band is made the greater will be the increase in efficiency, power and speed ofthe runner resulting therefrom.

The partof'the band retained is preferablylocated at the bottom or discharge end of the runner, since, due to the shape and curvature of the vanes, their slope at this point is smaller, and a larger portion of each vane in the tangential direction is thereby connected to the shroud band for a given depth of band. This positioning of the shroud band also provides a better supporting means for the runner due to the flare of the band in the direction of the discharge. If in any particular installation, however, it is desired, the part of the shroud band retained may be located intermediate or slightly below the center of the outer tips of the runner vanes, as shown in Fig. 5.

I do not desire to be limited to the exact details shown` nor to the types of turbines herein illustrated, as modifications may be made by those skilled in the art and still be Within the scope of the appended claim Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: y

In a turbine, a runner, a shroud band of substantially less Width than the ends of the runner vanes and positioned at the lower portions of the margins of said ends, and ,stationary means adjacent the unshrouded portions of the runner vanes adapted to guide the actuating fluid therethrough.

ROGER VERNON TERRY. i

Certificate of Correction.

Patent No. 1,647 ,156. Y Grajnted November 1, 1927, to ROGER VERNON TERRY.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the rinted specification ofthe abovenumbered patent reepuiring,` correction as folows: age 1, line 28, for the Word to read and; and that the said Letters Patent should be read With this correction Vtherein that the same may conform to the record of the oase in the Patent Oice.

Signed and sealed this 22d day of November, A. D. 1927.

[smh] M. J. MOORE,

Atzng owwm'ss'ioner of Patents. 

